Harry Potter and the Four Armies
by The Fifth Marauder
Summary: Takes place during Harry's sixth year. Spoilers for Order of Phoenix. Do not read if you haven't read it!!!
1. A Letter and an Exit

The first thing Harry heard in the morning was an owl tapping at his window. He opened his eyes to see Pig fluttering like mad outside the window, an envelope stuffed in his beak. Harry threw back the covers, and opened the window. Pig deposited the letter into Harry's open hand, and began zooming around the room, while Hedwig gave the smaller bird an annoyed look. Harry opened the letter and read his best friend Ron's handwriting.  
  
Harry, I'm sending this letter to let you know that some of the members of the Order of the Phoenix will be coming to pick you up on Sunday afternoon around three o'clock. Tell the Muggles that you will be gone for the rest of the summer, and that you will see them again next summer. I have a lot more I want to tell you, but I don't know if this letter will get intercepted. Also, Dumbledore has set up arrangements for Sirius' funeral. He'll give everyone the details Sunday evening. I'll see you Sunday!!!  
Ron  
Harry was ecstatic. It had been a long month sitting at home in Number Four Privet Drive. He had barely been acknowledged by Uncle Vernon. Aunt Petunia was a little kinder than normal, but was still mean to Harry at times. And, after the Dursley's visit with Moody, Dudley would run for cover every time Harry entered the room.  
Harry had taken to spending the majority of his time up in his room. He had finished most of the homework he had been given for the holidays. He only had a few essays to finish, including his History of Magic essay on the giant wars, and his Animagi essay for Transfiguration. Today was Friday, so Harry put his giant wars essay off until tomorrow, and began work on his Animagi essay. The work was long and tedious, but in the end, he felt he had a good paper that was long enough to get a good grade. Just as he was wrapping up his scroll, he heard a fluttering through his open window. A Hogwarts owl was sitting on his desk, and it had just dropped an envelope for Harry.  
Harry picked up the envelope. He read his name, and opened it. Inside, he found the grades he had achieved on his O.W.L.S. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, he had received an "O" for Outstanding. By some miracle, he had achieved the same grade in Potions. The other classes he had received an "O" in had been Care of Magical Creatures and Charms. In Herbology and Transfiguration, he had received an "E" for Exceeds Expectations. His other classes were not quite as high, but still all right. He had received an "A" for Acceptable in Astronomy. In Divination and History of Magic, his only other two classes, he had obtained "P" for Poor. However, Harry did not mind, for he had gotten high enough scores to continue taking classes to become an Auror.  
The next morning, Harry got up and spent the morning doing his History of Magic essay, knowing that he would never need to take that class again. After finishing it, Harry started packing up his trunk. At the bottom, Harry had laid his Invisibility Cloak and his two-way mirror in the bottom of the trunk. His Firebolt was missing, because it had not been returned to him at the end of last term. He packed up all of his books, and laid his school robes on top. Then, he headed to bed after supper.  
Harry waited anxiously all day Sunday, and about two o'clock, he headed downstairs, carrying his trunk. He entered the living room, and Dudley gave out a shriek as he ran out of the room. Uncle Vernon grunted, then spoke. "What do you want? Why do you have your trunk down here?" Harry replied, "My friend Ron wrote me and told me that I was to be picked up today at three. I just thought I'd let you know that I'll be out of here in an hour." "Fine, whatever."  
The minutes ticked by slowly, and ten minutes before three, there was a loud knock on the door. Harry answered it, and was greeted by Lupin, Tonks, and the Weasley twins. Harry looked out to see that Mundungus was at the wheel of the car. Harry loaded his trunk into the back, then climbed into the car, squeezing in between Fred and George. Mundungus roared the car to life, and they were headed down the road. 


	2. Towards Headquarters

As the six rode towards an unknown location, Lupin and Tonks proceeded to tell him what had happened in the month since term had ended. "The Daily Prophet has been reporting all kinds of sightings of Voldemort. Of course, the Death Eaters that were captured at the Department of Mysteries have escaped. Also, there are reports now that some other citizens of the magical community have started joining Voldemort. Vampires and goblins seem to have all rallied around Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Of course, the dementors have already left Azkaban."  
"There isn't any evidence that the Death Eaters have killed anyone yet, but there have been reports of Muggle torturing. At this time, the Order of the Phoenix is working hard to find out the base of operations for the Death Eaters. However there has been no luck so far."  
Harry asked Lupin, "So, is the Order still working in secrecy, or have they exposed themselves to Fudge?" "We are still working behind the scenes, but our numbers are swelling. As you can see, the Weasley twins here have joined us. There joke shop is an ideal spot to pass along information to other members."  
Harry had another question. "Have you changed headquarters since. since Sirius' death?" Tonks answered the question. "Yes. We are now operating out the Shrieking Shack, in Hogsmeade. It's an ideal spot, and Dumbledore and the others up at Hogwarts don't have to travel as far to get to the meetings. Some of the other members, like Dedalus Diggle and Sturgis Podmore, have actually bought houses in Hogsmeade. They feel that attention won't be drawn if they only travel a short distance. Now, we're almost there."  
At that instant, they pulled up onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Mundungus let them out, and after Harry's trunk was taken out of the back, drove off, muttering something about returning the car. Harry carried his trunk up into the boys dormitory, and headed back downstairs. Not only were Fred, George, Lupin and Tonks standing there, but also were Snape, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid. Together, the nine, without saying a word, headed down towards the Whomping Willow. George pressed the knot with a long stick, and the tree stopped moving. They slipped down the hole, and walked along the passage towards the Shrieking Shack. 


	3. The Shrieking Shack

Inside the Shrieking Shack, Harry saw nearly every member of the Order of the Phoenix. Around the room, he saw Moody, Kingsley Shackleboat, Elphias Doge, Dedalus, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis, and Hestia Jones. Also there were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, along with Bill. Mundungus had just walked in the door, escorting Mrs. Figg. In fact, the only man that Harry didn't recognize was a man that had just been joined by Dumbledore. There was something about that man that Harry recognized. He and Dumbledore had the same blue eyes. Just then, Harry realized that the man was Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother. Harry had seen him in the picture that Moody had shown him last summer. Just then, a few more people came into the room, all of whom Harry didn't recognize. Lupin grabbed Harry by the shoulder, and steered him over to meet the people.  
There were three men and two women. Two of the men were larger, one white and the other of Asian descent. The third man was short and had Spanish heritage. The two women were both white, but one had brown hair and the other blonde. "Harry, I'd like you to meet some of the new members of the Order of the Phoenix. This is Tony Feldman (the white man), Chang Wa (the Asian), Miguel Santiago (the Spanish), and Linda and Brenda Stonehocker (Linda was the blonde, Brenda the brunette). They recently joined us after and extended holiday here. They spotted some Death Eaters while hiking, and went to report them to Kingsley, who pointed them in the direction of the Order."  
At that moment, Dumbledore raised his voice and said, "Attention everybody. We are ready to start the meeting." Lupin pointed to the stairs, and told Harry, "Ron and Hermione are upstairs waiting for you. You aren't allowed in on the meeting." Harry headed up the stairs. He looked back briefly to see everyone sitting down to begin the meeting. He headed up the stairs, and saw Ron peeking out of a doorway. He waved Harry inside, and closed the door.  
Once inside the room, Ron started pelting him with questions. "Did you see all of the people down there? How were the Muggles? Was the ride good? Did they say what the order was doing next?" Harry decided to answer the last question. "Right now, the Order's trying to locate the headquarters of Voldemort." Harry was surprised to see that Ron hadn't flinched when he had said the name Voldemort. "So anyway, how long has your family been here?"  
"Oh, we arrived a couple of weeks ago. Mum and Dad have been working hard to make sure there is enough room to accommodate everyone. Many of the Order members are staying here. Lupin, Tonks, Moody, and Kingsley are all staying here, along with the five new members. Oh, and of course you and Hermione. Her and Ginny are staying down at the end of the hall."  
Harry took all of this in, then looked around. He saw two twin beds, and a dresser and closet, along with other miscellaneous objects. Somehow, his trunk had been moved to up here from the boys dorm. Ron started talking. "I know there isn't much room, but we have so many people staying. It'll be even more crowded in here in a little bit. Hermione comes in a lot of the time. She's been trying to distance herself between Ginny right now. Ginny and Dean broke up last week when she saw him kissing Lavender down at the Three Broomsticks. She's been crying a lot lately, and Hermione can't stand it."  
At that moment, Hermione popped inside the doorway. She saw Harry, and broke into a big grin. She threw her arms around him, and gave him a huge hug. She talked excitedly about how many people there were in the Order now. Then, she brought up her O.W.L.S. scores. She had received an "O" in everything. Ron had achieved an "E" in everything but Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had received an "O" in both of those.  
Ginny walked in during their conversation, and she brightened up when she spotted Harry. She joined in the conversation as best as she could, but she hadn't taken her O.W.L.S. yet. A knock at the door announced the arrival of Tonks, who said that Dumbledore wanted to speak to the four of them. They followed her down the stairs, giving each other looks of question. 


	4. An Honor and a Dream

When they reached the assemblage, Harry saw that all of the Order was watching Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron. Dumbledore spoke to them.  
"During your years at Hogwarts, you have shown outstanding bravery. You have fought off many dangers that some adult wizards will never have to face. Your bravery has given hope to some who had none before. Your courage is what has made me come to this decision. This year at Hogwarts, the four of you will not only continue the work of the D.A., but you will also fight alongside the members of the Order of the Phoenix at times when the need is great. I hope that the need never arises that I have to send out the D.A. to help out the Order of the Phoenix, but when I have to, I will. Now, normally, you would have to be adult wizards and witches to obtain this status, but I feel you have earned this right. Therefore, I am naming you honorary members of the Order of the Phoenix."  
Harry didn't know what to say. He knew that the Order of the Phoenix was planning on combating Voldemort, but he had hoped that the D.A. would have a little more preparation. However, he thanked Dumbledore, and sat down.  
After the meeting, Harry and his friends were congratulated by many members of the Order. After everyone had left, Harry headed back upstairs, where he and Ron discussed the evening's events.  
"Wow! Honorary members of the Order of the Phoenix! Who would have thought? You realize that the D.A. is going to have to work harder if we're expected to fight against the Death Eaters. You know, we should think about recruiting more people, and maybe changing the name, something that sounds really flashy. Maybe the Order of the Grizzly or something. What do you think?"  
Harry didn't reply. He was thinking about the pressure on his shoulders. He had to lead a group of young wizards and combat the most powerful Dark wizard ever. This was not going to be easy. He still had not told Ron and Hermione about the prophecy, where Harry would have to die, or kill Voldemort. He also had just lost Sirius, his godfather. What did Dumbledore expect?  
Harry fell asleep that night, and dreamed a strange dream. He stood in a large auditorium, and was facing a crowd of wizards in black hoods and cloaks. He also saw goblins, trolls, vampires, and other creatures sitting in the amphitheater. He addressed them.  
"Attention, all of you. The time is fast approaching when we begin our attack on the Ministry of Magic. Before the time comes, I want to see these numbers increase even more. Find the werewolves, the hags, and the ogres. Find more wizards, and bring them to me, that my league of darkness may grow. Now, where is Lucius?"  
"I am here, my lord. What is it you desire of me?"  
"Lucius, I want your son to lead a revolt inside Hogwarts school. Tell your son that Dumbledore and the other teachers must be distracted while we begin our reign of terror. He shall be supplied with any items he may need. He is to lead his own army. He should name it 'The Army of the Snake'. They are to curse other students, and use the Dark Arts to their advantage. Draco will need to be taught all of the curses you know, including the Cruciatus and Imperius curses. Make sure that he harms Harry Potter in anyway he can."  
"Yes, my lord."  
Just then, Harry was awakened by a loud knock on the door. "Harry, Ron, it's time for breakfast," rang out Mrs. Weasley's voice. Harry got out of bed, and pulled on some clothes. He saw Ron doing the same thing. He walked down to breakfast to see Lupin, Tonks, and Moody sitting around the table. All of them wished the boys well. Harry ate quickly, then he and Ron headed upstairs. Harry related his dream to Ron.  
"Well, I guess we know what the D.A. is going to be doing this year. We need to keep Draco on his toes. I think you should pull out the Galleon, and let everybody know that the first meeting will be the day after we get back. We have a lot to work on."  
Harry agreed. He pulled out the fake Galleon, and set the time for the meeting. After that, he told Hermione and Ginny about his dream. They had felt the Galleon burn, and knew that a meeting had been scheduled.  
During the rest of the summer, Harry practiced Occlumency. He also waited for news of an attack on the Ministry of Magic. He heard nothing. The only eventful part of the summer was Sirius' funeral. Harry attended, but there were very few others who did. The service was brief.  
Three weeks before term started, Harry received his Hogwarts letter. He was surprised to find out that he had been named Quidditch captain. He also received his list of books.  
At the end of the summer, Harry packed up his trunk, and he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny lugged them to the castle, and into their dorms. Harry and Ron waited till it was almost time for the evening meal, and headed down to Great Hall, where term was just about to start. 


	5. Ginny and the Sorting Hat

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny took a seat next to Neville, Seamus, and some of the other sixth years. Harry caught a glimpse of Ginny tensing up when she saw Dean and Lavender together. However, before anything could be said, the new first years were brought in. Professor McGonagall led the first years, and stopped in front of the stool with the Sorting Hat. A large slit near the brim opened like a mouth, and the Sorting Hat sang its song.  
  
When the school was but brand new  
  
And students began to come  
  
There lived four wizards, great and tall  
Who would allow only some.  
Gryffindor took only those,  
Whose true nature was very brave.  
Those who would face the evil  
And never ever cave  
Hufflepuff took the loyalists  
The ones who never changed  
While Ravenclaw took on the brains  
With wisdom ever gained  
Slytherin, the crafty one,  
Took only the pure bloods  
He wanted those few students  
Whose bloodline wasn't a dud  
When they passed on, they left me here,  
In order to choose for them  
Now that you all are here  
Let this year's Sorting begin!  
  
Harry and the others clapped along with the others at the Sorting Hat's new song. He watched as one by one the first years came up and put on the hat. He only paid half attention to the names called out. He was searching the staff table for the teachers. He saw an empty chair where the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher normally sat. Maybe Dumbledore hadn't found one yet. As Harry pondered this thought, he saw Dumbledore get up.  
"Students, one and all. Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. It's nice to see everyone. Now, let's eat."  
Suddenly, the tables were piled up with food. Harry saw roast pork, chicken, and lamb, along with many of his other Hogwarts favorites. Harry loaded his plate, and dug in. After what seemed like twenty minutes, Dumbledore stood up again.  
"A few beginning of term notices. The Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to those under third year. Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you that there is to be no magic used in the corridors while passing between classes. Quidditch trials will take place later in the month. You can check your dormitory message boards for times. Finally, I would like to introduce this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Anton Dolohov."  
Harry looked up to see a tall man with a long beard standing up. The man looked to be about eight feet tall. His beard was perhaps two feet long. He was wearing a large fur cloak over his robes. He had a piercing blue eyes, and a look about him that said that he knew what he was doing. However, he was smiling, which was a good sign.  
"Now, I know that you all have had a long trip, so I'll let you head upstairs." Ron and Hermione got up. It was their duties as prefects to lead the first years up to the dorm. Harry lagged behind with Neville, Seamus, Parvati, and Ginny. Dean and Lavender were standing off to the side. Harry could tell that Ginny was seething with anger. Without really thinking, he put his arm around her shoulder, and whispered in her ear. "Ginny, I know you're angry with Dean and Lavender. However, we're going to have to work with them in the D.A. Right now, I'll help you out. But you have to get over this."  
Ginny gave a small nod. Without moving his arm, Harry led the way upstairs. He saw that some of the other Gryffindors in the D.A. were following up behind. He saw the Creevy brothers were fingering their Galleons. Harry knew that they had gotten the message. Harry didn't take his arm away from Ginny's shoulders until they had gotten into the Gryffindor common room. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, making sure that Dean and Lavender were watching. Then, he headed upstairs.  
In the dorm, Dean confronted Harry. "So, are you going out with Ginny now?" Harry answered, "Why should it matter to you? You left her for someone else. I'm just trying to make it easier for everyone to get along in the D.A. I don't want her to feel alone when you're with Lavender." Harry hadn't been prepared to say that, but he realized that he meant it.  
Dean just shrugged, and walked off to bed. As each boy went to sleep, Harry felt a strange feeling come over him. Why had he been so defensive when he was talking to Dean? Could it have possibly been that he did have feelings to Ginny? He fell into a deep sleep, and dreamed of Ginny. 


	6. Draco Causes Problems

Harry received his schedule the next day. The line wasn't too bad. He had Care of Magical Creatures, then Charms, and end the day with Defense Against the Dark Arts. His class schedule was shorter since he no longer had to take Divination or History of Magic. Harry hoped that Defense Against the Dark Arts would be an interesting class.  
Harry headed downstairs to Care of Magical Creatures. Outside the hut, Hagrid was waiting with Fang, his dog, and his crossbow. Harry had a feeling that they were going into the Forbidden Forest for their first lesson of the year.  
"Hey there Harry. It's good to see ya. I didn' get ta talk to ya much this summer. Oh well, we're ready now. Ah, I see that the rest of the class has shown up. All right you chaps, today we're going into the forest to see something very special. As you all know, You-Know-Who has returned. I want to show you all a few creatures that he used in the past."  
They walked into the forest. They didn't go far before they found a large spider. Harry knew that this spider wasn't going to work for Voldemort. This was Aragog, a friend of Hagrid's. "Alright everyone, keep close. This is an acromantula. You-Know-Who would train these to terrorize Muggle villages. Does anyone know why acromantulas are classified as dangerous?"  
Hermione's hand shot in the air. "Acromantulas are classified as dangerous because they are very large and very smart. They have the capability to speak, and it doesn't take long for them to learn commands."  
  
Harry heard whispering in the back. Draco had his wand out, and was whispering something. A few sparks shot at Aragog. Suddenly, Aragog was running after students. Harry brandished his wand, and muttered, "Impedimenta". Draco was suddenly stunned. Meanwhile, the D.A. members were shooting the same spell at Aragog. The spider stopped moving. Draco was reviving. Harry pointed his wand at Draco and yelled "Expelliarmus". Draco's wand flew to Harry's empty hand.  
The class had run out of the woods, and Harry pointed Draco towards the castle. However, he had forgotten one little detail. "Detention, Potter, for harming a school prefect and disarming him." Then, he gave a laugh, and headed towards his next class, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.  
Charms went much better. Harry's class was learning Charms that would show up in his N.E.W.T.S. Harry ate lunch, then headed back to the common room, where he, Ron, and Hermione had an hour before Defense Against the Dark Arts. 


	7. DADA and an Attack

Defense Against the Dark Arts class was just about to get started when Professor Rasbutinoff walked in. As the bell rang, he cleared his throat, and spoke out loud. He had a strong Russian accent.  
"Velcome to sixth year Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am Professor Rasbutinoff, and I will be teaching you how to repel unfriendly spells during our time together. Professor Dumbledore finds it imperative that you learn how to defend yourselves properly against the Dark Arts as the Dark Lord has returned to power. After Christmas break, we will return and learn how to fight off with spells that can hurt your attacker."  
That day, Harry and the other sixth years learned the basics of how to fight off the Conjunctivus Curse. They left, and luckily, Professor Rasbutinoff had not given them any homework. Harry headed down to supper, and afterwards, headed towards the Room of Requirement to prepare for the D.A.'s first meeting of the term.  
Hermione, Ron, and Ginny walked in early, and Harry was careful not to catch Ginny's eye. He didn't want to have to explain himself about the kiss last night. However, he didn't have to worry about it, because others were starting to filter into the room. Neville, Seamus, Parvati, Dean, and Lavender walked in, followed closely by the Creevy brothers. Next came the Ravenclaw's, Padma Patil, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Luna Lovegood, and to Harry's horror, Cho Chang. Slipping in at the end of the Ravenclaw's tails were Ernie Macmillan, Justin Flinch-Fletchy, Hannah Abbot, and Susan Bones. Zacharias Smith was no where in sight.  
The meeting was about fifteen minutes into the practice when Zacharias barged in, his usually smug expression a ghostly white. "I just saw some of the Slytherins attack some of the first years with all kinds of hexes. I tried to stop them, but they were coming after me. I ran here as fast as I could. We have to stop them!"  
Harry grabbed his wand, and as a group, the twenty-two wizards followed Zacharias towards the corridor he had seen the first years being tortured. There, they found nearly thirty Slytherins, all shooting different hexes and curses at the now captive first years. Harry didn't dare attack Malfoy again. Instead, he sent the prefects to take care of Malfoy, while the others shot various spells and charms at the Slytherins. Ron, Hermione, Ernie, Hannah, and Terry were shooting green sparks at Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson.  
When the Slytherins had finally retreated, and the first years had been escorted to the hospital wing, Harry warned the D.A. to be on the lookout for any Slytherins torturing students or creating havoc.  
That night, Harry sat down in front of the common room fire with Hermione and Ron, and discussed the leadership of the D.A. It didn't seem right for Harry to have sole leadership over his fellow students. His idea was to have four students from each of the three houses on a sort of senate or council that would plan the meetings and what the D.A. would do. They agreed that Harry had a good idea, and spent the rest of the evening coming up with candidates to sit upon the D.A. masthead. Finally, the master list was decided on.  
  
Gryffindors- Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley  
Ravenclaws-Anthony Goldstein, Terry Boot, Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang  
Hufflepuffs-Ernie Macmillan, Justin Flinch-Fletchy, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones  
  
Harry had been hesitant about the last name on the Ravenclaw list. He didn't know what to think about Cho being a Ravenclaw representative to the D.A. leadership. However, Hermione had pointed out that every house needed two boys and two girls on the council. Besides, she was one of the few who had produced a real Patronus, and she was the only seventh year in the D.A. So, Harry had agreed to the advancement of Cho. 


	8. Before Halloween

Harry set up a meeting for the leaders of the D.A. for three days from the day of the first battle with "The Army of the Snake". The twelve of them prepared the lessons, and decided what should happen if there were anymore attacks.  
The only other things that were going well for Harry was Quidditch, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Quidditch trials had been on Friday, and he was pleased that Ginny, Seamus, and Parvati had qualified as Chasers. The two Beaters, Jack Sloper, and Andrew Kirke were both fifth years, and had stayed on the team, as had Ron as Keeper. Harry was pleased to see that Ron's Keeping abilities were much better than last year.  
Professor Rasbutinoff was teaching the sixth years many things in Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. They had learned to successfully throw off the Conjunctivus Curse, the Impediment Curse, and were now learning how to fight off the Imperius Curse. Harry had already been able to throw off the Imperius Curse, so he had been dragged up in front to be used as an example.  
As Halloween approached, Harry felt that the D.A. meetings had been going a lot better. After the fiasco during the first meeting, Zacharias had settled down, and wasn't nearly as smug. The leadership council, which had taken to calling itself the D.A. generals, or the D.A.G., was running together like a well oiled machine. Harry was pleased that he and Cho were not arguing about things. In fact, he hardly noticed her. He spent his time during the meetings being so busy with planning that he couldn't take time to talk to her.  
However, he was starting to spend a lot more time with Ginny. The two of them had gotten a lot closer, but they were still only friends. However, that all changed after one particular meeting of the D.A.G.  
The teachers had planned a Halloween ball for this year. They wanted the students to live as normally as possible with the threat of Voldemort hanging in the air. So, the ball had been planned, and the time was soon approaching. Upon taking her advice, Ron had asked Hermione to the ball. He told her that they were only going as friends, yet he had confided in Harry that he had feelings for Hermione. Harry had been hoping that at the ball he and Ron could sit around and laugh at all of the couples. Now, he had to find a date.  
He approached Ginny after the meeting. "Say Ginny, you know how the Halloween ball is coming up? I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" Harry felt a small quiver in his stomach.  
However, he had nothing to worry about. "Sure Harry, I'd love to go to the ball with you. I was hoping that you would ask me. It would like kinda awkward if you and I didn't go together, seeing as how we're a 'couple'". Harry laughed, and then walked her back up to the common room. Upstairs, he told Ron what had happened.  
"Well, it's about time, you know. I've seen you watching her the past few weeks. You know she likes you. Didn't you see her face when she saw you at the Shrieking Shack this summer. She always has liked you. I think that by asking her to the ball, you're asking her to become a bigger part of your life."  
Harry was worried now. Should he just be honest, and tell Ron that he liked Ginny? He decided he would. "I really like Ginny. Do you think she would be my, you know, girlfriend?"  
"Of course. I just told you that. Why don't you go ask her right now? She's probably up studying late for her O.W.L.S. anyway."  
Harry rushed downstairs, and sure enough, Ginny was curled up in one of the big chairs in front of the fireplace. He watched her over the edge of the chair, and finally took a seat next to her. "So, what are you studying right now?" "Oh, Defense Against the Dark Arts. I don't really need to, but I feel like I should, so as to not arouse suspicion." "Good thinking. Look Ginny, about earlier. When I asked you to the ball, I messed up." He started to say the rest, but she interrupted him. "You mean you don't want to go the ball with me?" She looked like she was about to cry. "No, I mean that I want more than to just go to the ball with you. I want you to. I want you to be my girlfriend. Will you?"  
Ginny gave Harry one of her biggest smiles, and she threw her arms around him. "Of course I will!" Harry sat there for a few seconds, then gave her a kiss. At that moment, he felt that he could have produced his most powerful Patronus. 


	9. The Halloween Ball

On Halloween morning, Harry walked out of the common room with a spring in his step. He and Ginny had officially been dating for two weeks now, and he wanted to celebrate. Luckily, today was also the first Hogsmeade trip. Harry headed immediately towards a small gift shop next door to the Hog's Head. Inside, he bought a dozen roses, which he took to the post office, to have delivered to Ginny later in the evening. Then, he bummed around town with Ron, Seamus, Dean, and Neville while the girls got fitted for new dress robes. Neville, it turned out, had asked Luna Lovegood.  
That evening, Ginny gave a squeal of delight when she received her roses. She looked stunning in robes of light blue. Harry's own robes were a shade of midnight blue, and the two looked very good together. Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, Seamus and Parvati, and Dean and Lavender headed downstairs, where they met Neville and Luna. The five couples sat together at dinner, and then went and got their picture taken.  
The ball was in full swing when Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, who were getting punch, were taken aside by Professor Rasbutinoff. "Dumbledore needs you to gather the D.A. There is a matter of great importance at the Ministry of Magic. Hurry. There will be brooms and appropriate clothing waiting for you at the front door. I hope you all have your wands."  
Harry and the other three immediately split up. Harry had an easy enough time getting the couples who were dancing. Neville, Luna, Seamus, Parvati, Dean, and Lavender headed towards the door. Cho and Michael were a little harder to find, because they were sitting in the back, in the dark. Ron and Hermione had managed to find Ernie and Hannah dancing, as well as Justin and Susan getting snacks. Terry, Anthony, and Zacharias were all harder to get away, because they had dates that were not in the D.A., although Zacharias was with Marietta.  
The twenty-one students snuck out in twos and threes. Harry and Ginny were the last ones out. Harry found his broomstick propped against the wall, and a black robe with hood over on the ground. They were all about to leave when he had a revelation. What if Malfoy attempted something now that the D.A. was away? He immediately assigned Terry, Anthony, Zacharias, Seamus, Parvati, Dean, Lavender, Cho, and Michael to stay back in case of any problems. Meanwhile, Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Neville, Ernie, Hannah, Justin, and Susan would go to help.  
Harry and the others were preparing to fly away on the broomsticks when he saw a couple of thestrals winging their way through the sky. He spotted four thestrals, each one with a rider. Harry immediately called for some thestrals. Five of them galloped onto the grounds. Ernie, Hannah, Justin, and Susan all needed help onto the thestrals, but they finally took off, following the path left by the teachers. 


	10. At the Ministry

The thestrals landed outside the visitor's entrance to the Ministry of Magic. They split up into groups, and crammed into the phone booth. They exited, and ran full speed to where the battle was taking place. Harry saw nearly fifty Death Eaters, along with vampires, hags, ghouls, and dementors, fighting against members from the Order of the Phoenix. Harry saw Kingsley and Tonks fighting, along with Brenda, Linda, and Fluer Delacour, who Harry didn't know was in the Order. She must have been a new arrival.  
Dumbledore was fighting against three Death Eaters at the same time, while others were fighting against the others. Harry drew out his wand, pulled the hood over his head, and yelled out "Expecto Patronum!" Suddenly, all of the dementors in the room were being charged by not only a stag, but also an otter, a lion (Ron's Patronus), and a falcon (Ginny's). The dementors fled from the room, and Harry turned to see the D.A. holding their wands upright. He split them up into their pairs, and told them to stick with a member of the Order of the Phoenix.  
Harry and Ginny ran up to help Professor Rasbutinoff. He was dueling with Antonin Dolohov and Rasbatan Lestrange, two of the Death Eaters who had escaped from Azkaban. Harry and Ginny immediately set upon them with the Impediment Curse. Together, the three dueled against many Death Eaters and other creatures.  
The rest of the D.A. was fighting a winning battle. They had helped the Order of the Phoenix ward off many Dark creatures and wizards. The battle was coming to an end. The Death Eaters collected their fallen, and Disapparated.  
Harry looked around the room. He saw that they had lost some members of the Order. Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge, and Emmeline Vance. Three of the remaining members of the original Order of the Phoenix were dead, and others were injured.  
Harry collected the D.A. as fast as he could. Aside for a few minor injuries, the group was unhurt. They hurried out of the building, before they could be spotted by any Ministry officials. They found the thestrals waiting outside, and hopped on, flying back to Hogwarts.  
It turned out that Malfoy had not created mayhem at the ball. In fact, he had been up in the hospital wing, suffering from an unknown illness. Later, Seamus confessed that he didn't want to attack a school prefect, so he had slipped a Skiving Snackbox into Malfoy's punch. However, he hadn't given him the antidote piece. Malfoy would be vomiting for hours.  
Harry called an emergency meeting of the D.A., and they discussed the night's events. As they were all leaving, Dobby the house-elf came running in to Harry. "Harry Potter, sir, Professor Dumbledore wants a word with you, sir." Harry headed off to Dumbledore's office. 


	11. Christmas in Hogsmeade

Christmas time rolled around at Hogwarts. Harry and the other members of the D.A. were still feeling good about stopping Voldemort at Halloween. However, now that holidays had come, it would be interesting to see what would happen. Harry had seen on the list that Draco and some of the other Slytherins were staying at Hogwarts during Christmas. This led Harry to ask for volunteers to stay at Hogwarts. It turned out that only he, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were staying. The rest had already made plans to head home. And even Luna ended up having to go home.  
On Christmas Eve, the four of them stayed up late until all of the students had gone to bed. Then, Harry pulled out his Invisibility Cloak, and all four snuck underneath it. They hurried downstairs, and across the snowy lawn. They prodded the knot to the Whomping Willow, and went down the passage to the Shrieking Shack.  
They burst into the room, and saw the members of the Order of the Phoenix having a Christmas party. Lupin, Tonks, Kinsgley, Moody, the Weasleys, Tony, Chang, Miguel, Linda, Brenda, and Fleur were all there, along with Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Rasbutinoff, and Hagrid. They were greeted by one and all, and the party continued.  
Harry and the others spent the next day at the Shrieking Shack. He had received some wonderful gifts. Hermione had given him a refill for his Broom Servicing Kit, and Ron had given him a wand "sheath", to keep his wand in. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him homemade mince pies and a new sweater. Lupin and Tonks had given him a pocket Foe Glass. However, his best gift was from Ginny. She had bought him a new set of dress robes that matched his eyes. They were dark green, like the ones he had had in his fourth year. However, wrapped inside the robes was a small picture frame, and inside was a picture of Ginny and Harry right after the Halloween ball.  
Harry had given Hermione a set of books that helped you study for the N.E.W.T.S., and he had given Ron a Broom Servicing Kit. He had bought Ginny a large assortment of candy, and a small teddy bear riding a broom. It was a great Christmas.  
Harry and the other three had to return to school. However, when they got there, they received a shock. Draco had locked the teachers in their offices, and he and his gang were now terrorizing the other students. Ron and Hermione went after Draco and Pansy, while Harry and Ginny started sorting out the rest. When they had finally gathered all of the Slytherins, and had locked them in one of the dungeons, they went about freeing the teachers and students. Several of the students were directly escorted to the hospital wing.  
Harry headed back to the Shrieking Shack when he saw a fire going in the village of Hogsmeade. Quickly, he summoned Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the Order of the Phoenix. They all ran towards the fire. There, they saw Voldemort and the Death Eaters, along with his army of Dark creatures, terrorizing the village. Hagrid had managed to disappear, but now he was back, and Grawp was following him. The sight of Grawp caused several of Voldemort's army to run away. However, the ones who were true to Voldemort did not leave. Instead, they watched their master.  
Voldemort was no longer wearing just a black robe with hood. He wore a suit of black armor, with a silver snake emblazoned on the breastplate. He held a black shield with the snake emblem, and also a black sword, which was surrounded by pulsating green sparks. He lowered his sword, and shot green sparks at Grawp. It did not kill Grawp, but it did cause him to run away. Dumbledore turned to face Voldemort, but Harry was faster. He brandished his wand, and yelled out "Accio Sword!" Instantaneously, Voldemort's sword was flying towards Harry. Harry caught it by the handle, and muttered "Reducto!" The sword shrank to the size of a toothpick. Then, Harry yelled again, "Accio Sword!" Suddenly, a sword was zooming from the castle. Harry knew that it was the sword of Godric Gryffindor. He caught it by the hilt, and turning, he pointed it at Voldemort. "You will leave now, or I will be forced to use this on your Death Eaters. You have harmed this village, and I will not allow any more terror. Leave!" Voldemort just gave a cackle. "Don't worry, Harry Potter. I will leave. However, you can be sure that we will meet again. We have to, and you know it." With a crack, he Disapparated, and his followers quickly did the same.  
No one said a word as they headed back to Hogwarts, the Three Broomsticks crackling in the distance. Harry led them back upstairs, and slept that night. However, his dreams were restless. First, he was with Ginny. Suddenly, she was killed, just as Cedric had been killed. Then, Voldemort was stepping into the ring of Death Eaters. Harry had just finished him off when his face changed. Harry was staring down at himself. Only he was no longer Harry. He was Wormtail and he was giving a cold, high-pitched laugh. Just then, Wormtail was killed by Ron, who had chopped off his head, only to be killed by a gun, shot by Snape and Hermione together.  
Harry woke up in a cold sweat. His scar was throbbing. He looked over to see Ron, whose head was still on his shoulders. What could all of this mean? 


	12. Valentine's Day

Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron walked into the first D.A. meeting since Christmas. Some how, word had leaked out that Harry and the others had helped stop the destruction of Hogsmeade. Anxious to hear the story, they gathered around.  
Harry didn't know how much he could say. He didn't want the rest of the D.A. to know about the Order of the Phoenix, nor that some of the Professors at the school were members. He basically told the others that he had seen a fire blazing down in Hogsmeade, and his scar had hurt. He and the others went down to investigate, and saw Voldemort terrorizing Hogsmeade. The four of them had teamed up with some other wizards who had happened to inspect the blaze. The others seemed impressed, and Harry didn't say anymore about it.  
The meeting went over very well, and they all learned a lot. Valentine's day was approaching, and Harry had seen that a Hogsmeade visit had been scheduled for that day. Over the term, many new couples had blossomed. Harry and Ginny, Dean and Lavender, and Cho and Michael were still going steady. Seamus and Parvati, Neville and Luna, Ernie and Hannah, Justin and Susan, Anthony and Padma, and Ron and Hermione had all started relationships during the time after the Halloween ball.  
Harry had planned a fun day with Ginny. He was taking her all around the village, and at the end, they would meet up with the rest of the D.A. couples in the newly refurbished Three Broomsticks.  
Harry and Ginny visited the post office, Dervish and Bangs, and other stores in town. Harry bought Ginny a large amount of Valentine's candy from Honeydukes. Then, they headed to the Three Broomsticks.  
Harry had reserved a large room in the back, and he was pleased to see that they had set up tables with butterbeer and other drinks. The door opened, and Ron and Hermione walked in. One by one, all of the couples came in, and they began the celebration. They had been celebrating for a couple of hours when Madam Rosmerta, the bartender, walked in. "Excuse me, but Harry has an urgent message from a Professor Rasbutinoff. It says, 'Ride the invisible horses to the first destination for a new wizard.' Do you have any idea what that means?"  
Harry was about to say no, when Hermione gasped. "Of course we know. We have to go now, all of us." They rushed out of the room. As they ran, Hermione explained the message. "We're supposed to ride the thestrals to the first place a new wizard would go. Diagon Alley!" Harry started calling for the thestrals. They appeared in a large group, nearly twenty in all. For those who couldn't see the thestrals, they were helped on by those who could. Harry told his thestral, "We need to get to Diagon Alley!" The thestrals reared up, and took off.  
Along the way, Harry mentioned something to Ron. "You notice that Voldemort always attacks a magical place on a holiday. Next holiday is Easter. I'm guessing he attacks either St. Mungo's, or Gringotts. We need to let Dumbledore. But first, we need to take care of this problem." "Yeah, Harry, about that. Half of these people have never faced the Death Eaters before. They don't know what they're getting themselves into. Are you sure this is a good idea?"  
Harry didn't say anything. Because right then, they had landed in Diagon Alley. And even if Harry could have said anything, Ron wouldn't have been able to hear him. 


	13. The Fight for Diagon Alley

All around them, shops were ablaze. Smoke was so thick, Harry could barley make out Ron and Ginny's red hair. Death Eaters were shooting green and red sparks at frightened shoppers and shop owners. Dementors glided through the air, hoods no longer up. Harry could see them for they really were.  
The dementors were people! Their faces were a dull gray, and their mouths had become permanent "O"'s. The strong jaws were large, and the noses were slightly squashed. However, Harry could see the faces of actual people. He didn't recognize any of them, but he was still terrified.  
Vampires, ghouls, hags, ogres, and goblins were running amuck. Giants were towering above them. And up in the sky, Harry saw dragons and wild thestrals. The dragons were responsible for all of the fire, and the thestrals were swooping upon any carrion that was lying about. Harry pulled out his wand, and pointed it at his first victims, a trio of dementors. "Expecto Patronum!" A stag erupted from his wand, and was quickly chased by an otter, a lion, and a falcon. The dementors glided away quickly. All around, Harry saw other teams that had formed up. Ernie, Hannah, Justin, and Susan, who had fought at the Ministry of Magic, were all shooting out charms and spells against the vampires and ghouls. Cho, Michael, Anthony, and Padma were all standing around, frightened. So was the team of Seamus, Dean, Parvati, and Lavender. However, Neville and Luna were fighting off Death Eaters.  
Neville had matured a lot over the years. He was no longer the scared first year Harry had first met. He was brave, and he had grown up a lot. Maybe that was what had given him the guts to face three Death Eaters. However, Harry knew that these were no ordinary Death Eaters. These three Death Eaters were Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband, Rodolphus, and her brother-in-law, Rabastan. These three had been the Death Eaters responsible for torturing Neville's parents, who were now in St. Mungo's. Bellatrix had also been the one to kill Sirius, her own cousin.  
Harry ran up to help Neville. Neville had been working hard all year at curses and countercurses, so Harry wasn't surprised to see Rabastan's wand shrink to the size of a toothpick. He knew that Neville had used the Reductor curse. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Luna, had managed to Transfigure Rodolphus' shoes into a pair of pigs, which were now running off in the opposite direction, taking Rodolphus with them. Harry turned to face Bellatrix. "Well Potter, it seems we meet again. I remember when you tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on me last summer. If I remember correctly, it actually tickled. Let me show you how it really works." She pointed her wand at him, and said "Cruci-"  
But she was stopped right then by the Impediment curse, which Ginny had shot right at her back. "Happy Valentine's Day!" She and Harry took off, and started causing havoc. They had put out the fires, and had managed to run off all of the dementors and other Dark creatures. Harry felt an odd feeling of longing, like he wanted to chase after them to Voldemort's headquarters. However, before he could, Dumbledore said, "Harry, come, it's time to go back to Hogwarts. I have some explaining to do." Harry nodded, and walked towards the fireplace inside one of the shops that had not suffered much damage. He hopped in the grate, and the Floo powder transported him to Dumbledore's office. 


	14. Dumbledore Explains it All

Dumbledore stepped out of the grate a few minutes later. He sat down behind his desk, and looked up at Harry. "Harry, I know that we had a talk last year. I just want to fill you in on a few gaps that you may have noticed since your honorary induction. For one, you've noticed that Professor Rasbutinoff has been working for the Order of the Phoenix, but not doing much fighting. He is here as a refugee. Voldemort is hunting him down. Over the summer, Voldemort and some of his followers headed into some other countries, to try and expand their numbers even larger. Voldemort had heard about a large cult following who practiced the Dark Arts. He went to make contact with them, thinking that they would be a useful addition to his army.  
However, Professor Rasbutinoff was on their tail. Before fleeing, he worked as a Russian equivalent of an Auror. He had made contact with Charlie, and was working with the Order of the Phoenix, even though he wasn't a member. The Russian government wanted this cult, the Valenkyr to be rounded up before they fell in with Voldemort. One of Professor Rasbutinoff's Aurors had infiltrated the Valenkyr, and was feeding him information. He reported that some Death Eaters had come to present Voldemort's case to the cult, and they were ready to follow. That night, Rasbutinoff snuck in and single-handedly rounded up all fifty members of the Valenkyr. However, one escaped, and passed on the information to Antonin Dolohov, one of the Death Eaters. Dolohov used to be a member of the Valenkyr before coming over to Voldemort's side. Professor Rasbutinoff is now a refugee, and he is hunted by the both the Death Eaters and the other factions of the Valenkyr¸ who came over to Voldemort.  
"Professor Snape told me that last year you told him that you thought his job was to make contact with the Death Eaters. You were correct in this assumption. He is our insider there. However, the time will come when he will have to leave. Hogwarts will be a safe haven to him along with any others.  
"I know you probably have more questions, but I can't answer them. I will not divulge information vital to the Order of the Phoenix."  
Harry nodded, then spoke. "Professor, I noticed that Voldemort always attacks on a holiday. On Halloween, he attacked the Ministry of Magic. Christmas was when he attacked Hogsmeade. Now, today, Valentine's Day, he attacked Diagon Alley. I can't help but think that Easter will be the day he next strikes, and possibly at St. Mungo's or Gringotts. What do you think?"  
"I have noticed this pattern, and trust me, we will be prepared. You remember that last year, when Mr. Weasley was attacked, I sent two of the former Heads to their other portraits? I have Dilys positioned in St. Mungo's, and we have Bill standing guard in Gringotts, with backup hiding in one of the closest vaults. Don't worry. Moody and Lupin have "volunteered" at St. Mungo's, so they're on guard there. Besides, you remember the leaflet about St. Mungo's. You must achieve an "O" in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The staff is fully qualified."  
Harry nodded, and got up to leave. As he did, Dumbledore said, "Oh, Harry, good luck next weekend. I know as Headmaster, I'm not supposed to side with any particular House, but I do hope that my former House wins the Quidditch cup this year." Harry thanked him, then walked out the door, back to the common room. He was intercepted by Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who had come to find him. He reported to them what Dumbledore said, then reminded them that they needed their sleep. He was going to start a full scale Quidditch training program, starting tomorrow morning. 


End file.
